The Fate of Abraham as a Seahorse
by ChestnutBrumby
Summary: Movieverse. I just couldn't help myself. Please excuse the extreme sillyness - that aside, I'm utterly delighted with this fic. HB/Liz and their twins, plus Abe/Nuala of course! Abe-Fans don't worry, he isn't a seahorse in this fic, it's just a metaphor ;


Elizabeth Sherman removed a lock of her short black hair from the relentless grasp of her thirteen-month old son, Kala. The baby boy immediately chortled and reached for a fistful of hair on the other side of his mother's face, apparently delighted with the game. Liz adjusted his position on her lap so he couldn't reach high enough to grab her hair, although he kept giggling and trying, stretching out his chubby arms and waving his short tail in the air. He was an irresistible little chap, his dark crimson skin, the tail, and stubby horns easily overlooked by his charming, playful nature. He was a handful though, a bright, outgoing child, unlike his much quieter and well-behaved sister, Nuraya. Like her twin, Nuraya had a short tail (Hellboy said his was shorter when he was young too, and lengthened as he got older) but her skin was much lighter than Kala's. In low light she almost looked to be Liz's colour, but sunshine would show the soft, almost rose-coloured glow of her skin, contrasted by the vivid blue shade of her eyes. She was ever the observer, even at this young age interested in everything and everyone around her - but no-one more so than her twin brother, whom she adored. Seeing Kala still reaching for their mother's hair, she giggled herself and reached out for the long white-blonde hair of the woman in who's lap she was sitting. Princess Nuala smiled indulgently as Nuraya gently pulled some of Nuala's locks through her fingers. She tickled the little girl under her chin, and at once she let go and started giggling, burrowing her head into Nuala's front to get away from the Princess's teasing fingers.

"I think the cravings were the worst." Liz was telling Nuala reflectively. "I'm certainly not sorry that part is over. At one stage I sent HB out at two in the morning to get... now, what was it... oh yes, sour cream, mayonnaise, and limes - on pizza."

Nuala laughed aloud. "I can't imagine wanting anything like that." Her tastes for food tended to shy away from the modernized trend of eating 'fast foods' with their incredible high levels of saturated fats and range more towards all-natural fruits, vegetables and meats. Nuraya snuggled more comfortably against her, and as Nuala gently ran her pale hand over the young girl's soft, jet-black hair, she started to emit tiny snores.

"How is yours progressing?" Liz enquired, momentarily distracted when Kala tried to remove her earring.

Nuala nodded thoughtfully, careful not to disturb the sleeping child on her lap. "No cravings yet, that I know of. But everything seems to be on track - as much as one could expect for this kind of pregnancy, anyway."

Liz nodded knowingly, finally putting Kala on the floor, where he crawled over towards Nuala, pulling himself up on the chair leg she was sitting on to see what Nuraya was doing.

"I hope the boys are having fun. I thought it would be nice to give HB a night off from babysitting, he's so devoted to these two. Kala, don't even think about waking up your sister!"

Kala sat down on his tail and gazed angelically up at his mother. Nuala smiled affectionately at the little boy. "I'm sure they're fine. I did hear some dissent about 'not being able to bring any beers' before they left, however."

"Oh, that'd be because I forbade Red from even thinking about drinking in front of Abe, since he's incapable of it right now."

Nuala smiled, thinking of that night, almost two years ago now... not the unpleasant part where her own twin had ruined the evening thoroughly, but beforehand, when Abraham had let his friend coax him into drinking. She could still hear his singing voice, clear and sweet even if it had been a bit slurred from his intoxication. She didn't mind letting him have the occasional drink, but it was Abraham himself who usually refused. Perhaps due to his unique metabolism, it did not take a great deal of alcohol to affect him. Of course at the present time, as Liz had said, alcohol was out of the picture completely.

"I am glad you suggested this night off for them though, I do think Abraham has been worrying himself unduly about the baby."

"Oh, Red was the same. He was always so worried something was going to go wrong, when really all we had to do was let nature take its course."

"Yes, I think exactly the same thing. But there's always going to be surprises while we're with men like Anung and Abraham."

Almost the exact moment she was done speaking, there was a sudden flash of heat and light and a delighted yell of laughter from Kala. The infant demon sat grinning gleefully, alight in golden-red fire, his nappy also on fire and merrily scouring a black patch on the wooden floor.

Liz and Nuala exchanged glances, Liz's face resigned, Nuala trying very hard to hide her laughter.

"You can say that again." sighed Liz, getting our of her seat. "I'll go get more nappies."

While the girls were babysitting, Hellboy and his oldest friend were enjoying their night off. Sort of.

"I can't believe her. Thinks just because she's my wife now, she can start giving me orders." Grumbled the demon, flopping down heavily onto the grass. His tail twitched irritably beside him. Above them the clear air seemed to show every star in the sky.

Abe was sitting on a rock not far off, his webbed toes idly brushing the surface of the river. He turned his head towards Hellboy and waved a hand in his fluid manner. "Red, don't you remember what happened last time you were drinking?"

"Hey!" Hellboy growled defensively. "I didn't _know_ there was going to be people camping in that field. I mean, who camps out in the middle of Autumn? It was like forty degrees outside."

"Red, you ran over their tent with a tractor." Abe pointed out. He waved his index finger at the demon. "And might I remind you the farmer who owned it was not impressed when you brought it back the next day."

"What?" Protested Hellboy. "I fixed it."

Abe gave his head a small shake, torn between amusement and the ever-present worry over the pregnancy. He almost wished Red _had_ brought a few beers, even though he knew he couldn't in his present condition. At least it might sooth his nerves a little.

"Cm'on, Abe. Come into town, there's got to be something happening."

Abe shook his head most emphatically. "I'll say it again, Red - I am _not_ going _anywhere_ looking like this." He stood up to illustrate his point, folding his arms defiantly over his very round, very pregnant belly.

Hellboy groaned and put his head in his smaller hand. "This is what I get for being friends with a fishstick, isn't it?"

**AN: **

**I just couldn't resist. My other half and I were bouncing around ideas of what HB and Liz's kids would be like, and we had a good laugh over the fact they'd probably be needing fire-retardant nappies! Then earlier, the idea popped into my head of what might happen if Abe and Nuala had a kid, inspired by Abe having a few fish-like characteristics of the seahorse... -grins wickedly- **

**Nuraya is Turkish for 'fire'**

**Kala is a shortened version of Kalama, 'Flaming torch' in Hawaiian.**


End file.
